Here we are...

I am positive that I like the lie-ins of school holidays better than the get-up-and-out starts of the school term, but still, the lack of order and routine in our house is having an effect. My son, who is normally so structured in his little life, has gone into the free fall of the summer holidays and veers from happy to frustrated in a mere half hour. Is this a boy thing? It seems unless he is totally occupied he is miserable and trailing me around, much like the puppy does. Both of them looking up at me imploringly; what shall we doooo?! Sometimes they just have to be bored.

Meanwhile Boo is braving the Hurricane Bertha waves and doing a teen surf course with a friend. We have a houseful.

The house descends yet further into building rubble; all of our possessions stacked up to make way for electrical rewiring. It will be over one day. It will be over one day.

And to the lightness of life - shopping. This week alone (and it's only Tuesday) I went through an 'I need a retro high-waisted bikini' stage, and then got over it. Googled every conceivable version then decided that they look really cute on hip, young girls and maybe not on 40-year-old mothers. The exception to this age-related rule is Rene Russo in 'The Thomas Crown Affair'. Her wardrobe in that film is divine. I then found the latest Zara leather jacket - which I have gone on about before but have never yet purchased. Literally half the price of anything else out there. I got it and it is lovely. Very pleased.

I am numbed and sad about the death of Robin Williams, in that obscure, helpless way that the demise of anyone who has enriched the lives of many affects us. Near yet far. It is written about far more eloquently and beautifully here and I share the sentiment and the sadness.

In order to escape the building work, we have decided to get away to Portugal to the home-from-home that is my in law's place. So I am counting down to the last bit of the summer, spent in familiar surroundings. We had asserted that we would not go this year, having been every year I can recall since our children were born. But it seems that place is so enmeshed in the fabric of our summers that we couldn't resist. I have written about it many, many times before. In a week's time we will be there...

Otherwise, what else? Life is a series of activities right now, punctuated by the noise of the builders from dawn (it seems) to the late afternoon. Never known a builder work past 5pm.

Sometimes there is no real wisdom to impart, everything peppered by the small or the mundane. But I am OK with that. I bought geraniums for my porch as even though the place looks like a bomb hit, you always need flowers to brighten things don't you? :-)

via here